Fire Sprinklers At Work (Summer 2014 Edition)

August 2014

Birnamwood
Kersten Lumber

The fire sprinkler system helped control most of a fire in the back of the saw mill. The fire appeared to be caused by electrical. No one was hurt and no lumber was affected.

WSAW-TV

July 2014

Town of Madison
Apartment Building

A fire sprinkler contained put out most of a fire in a single unit of the two-story, apartment building until fire crews arrived and fully extinguished it.

“The resident of the apartment said he dumped used smoking materials into a wicker basket used for trash, then left the apartment,” said a fire department news release. “The wicker basket and a stuffed chair ignited.”

Thanks to the activation of the fire sprinkler system, damage was limited to only $4,000. The apartment building’s residents escaped safely and no one was injured.

Wisconsin State Journal

June 2014

City of Madison
Tower Apartments at Oakwood Village West

A single fire sprinkler contained a bedroom fire on the 13th floor of the 15-story high-rise apartment building that houses over 100 adults.

The sprinkler system and fire alarm system were both placed back in service less than three hours after the fire started. Due to the minimal fire damage, most of the residents were able to return to their apartments less than two hours after the fire.

Eric Dahl, Public Information Officer,
City of Madison Fire Department

Green Bay
Enviro Tire Management

The fire sprinkler system at the tire-recycling business helped control a fire that began in a machine used to grind tires until fire crews fully extinguished it. No injuries were reported.

Green Bay Press-Gazette

Germantown
Waste Management

Fire sprinklers prevented a fire from spreading in the plant. The fire began when trash got caught inside the belt of a compactor unit, causing the motor to seize up in flames. No injuries were reported.

WDJT-TV

May 2014

City of Madison
Capital Newspapers

Two fire sprinklers controlled a fire in a boiler room where several compressors and a boiler are housed until fire crews arrived on scene. All of the approximately 35 employees were able to safely evacuate and no injuries were reported.

The building’s sprinkler system functioned as it was meant to and put out the fire, publisher John Humenik told employees outside the building after their evacuation.

Employees were allowed back into the building after firefighters completely extinguished the fire and ventilated the building.

April 2014

Fitchburg
New Fountain Apartments

The fire sprinkler system in the multi-unit apartment complex extinguished a kitchen fire in one of the units. No injuries were sustained.

According to the fire department, all of the buildings within the apartment complex were retrofitted with fire sprinklers and fire alarm systems in 2010.

“These systems operated as designed during this incident and prevented the incident from becoming a tragic event,” said Fitchburg Lieutenant Jeff Baumgartner.

Jeff Baumgartner, Lieutenant,
Fitchburg Fire Department

Milwaukee
Strip Mall

The fire sprinkler system in a vacant store of the strip mall extinguished an arson fire before firefighters arrived on scene. No one was injured.

WTMJ-AM

City of Madison
Yahara River View Apartments

A single fire sprinkler in the 60-unit apartment complex extinguished a dryer fire in a second-floor unit. The activation of the fire sprinkler allowed an occupant of the unit to safely help three other wheel-chair-bound occupants in the unit escape.

The estimated damage was limited to only $10,000 between two units. No one was injured.

“Had the sprinkler system not activated in the fire, we certainly would have had a lot of destruction, potentially some fatalities, certainly some injuries. We were just fortunate that the sprinkler system did its job,” said Madison Fire Chief Steve Davis.

According to WKOW-TV, “A Webster Street apartment complex without a sprinkler system suffered a different fate back in 2011, when a fire destroyed 24 of its 30 units and closed down a restaurant.”